As of Feb. 1, 2017, the FDA could confirm a total of 359 cases of the disease, which despite potential assumptions, was not breast cancer, but rather a rare type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL).

Getty Images

The cancer, which is treatable and rarely fatal if found in a timely manner, usually grows in the capsule of the scar tissue surrounding an implant.

"All of the information to date suggests that women with breast implants have a very low but increased risk of developing ALCL compared to women who do not have breast implants," the organization said in a statement.

While awareness around this link needs to increase for the FDA to attain a more accurate incidence rate, those with implants should be tuned into the symptoms of lumps, pain, and swelling.

"Most cases of breast implant-associated ALCL are treated by removal of the implant and the capsule surrounding the implant, and some cases have been treated by chemotherapy and radiation," the statement said.

We’d understand if readers with implants might feel a tad disconcerted by this new reporting, but rest assured, the FDA says that routine care and diligence are the only precautions you need to take.

“There is no need to change your routine medical care and follow-up,” the organization says.

“Educate yourself about breast implants before agreeing to surgery...make sure to talk to your health care provider about the benefits and risks of textured-surface versus smooth-surfaced implants.

"Get routine mammography screening and ask for a technologist specifically trained in performing mammograms on patients with breast implants.”

If you wish to find out more, check in with your trusted doctor today.

This post was written by Katie Skelly. For more, check out our sister siteNow To Love.

Next: See these celebs who are cancer survivors.

1
of
11

Edie Falco: Breast cancer, 2004 Falco kept her treatment a secret from her Sopranos co-stars. “Surviving cancer has a way of making you re-prioritize," she's said. In her case, it meant starting a family.